A valuable resource for community members interested in genealogy and local history is getting a boost. At the beginning of the year, the Ignacio Community Library began adding new material to its online archive, the Voices of Ignacio Digital Collection. The archive features a collection of historic photographs, publications, and oral history interviews from longtime Ignacio area residents. Though the project was originally kickstarted in 2016, it has sat dormant in recent years. Now, with the help of library employees Cheyenne Munns and recent addition Daniel Frauenhoff, new material will be added to the collection on the first of each month. Frauenhoff is a graduate of Fort Lewis College and specializes in local history.
The latest addition to the collection is an interview with Harold (Bud) Schaaf, who worked for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, which used to run through Ignacio. Schaaf’s unique sense of humor shines through when discussing the trials and tribulations he faced while working as a conductor, fireman, and brakeman on the railroad during its final years of operation.
Another recent upload is a talk with prominent community member Glen Walker, who has lived in Ignacio since 1974. Walker discusses his role in establishing Ignacio’s first library and his thirty-year tenure as the owner of the True Value Hardware Store. Walker and Schaaf’s stories join twenty-four other interviews in the collection, including accounts from both Hispanic and Southern Ute elders.
Ignacio residents who are interested in family history will find value in The Thoughtful Years collection, a monthly newsletter originally published by the senior center beginning in 1972. Each of the eighty-three digitized issues contain a summary of local news and events, illustrations, obituaries, and biographies of prominent community members. The surnames of many prominent area families appear throughout the pages of this collection.
A collection of old photographs depicting Ignacio’s early days may also be found online. Some of the black and white images are well over 100 years old and include early scenes of Goddard Avenue and the Southern Ute Agency. They also show some of the first businesses in town including the Phillips Mercantile, the T. D. Burns Store, and the old pool hall.
Few places in the world can match the ethnic diversity of Ignacio, Colo. But our tri-ethnic heritage is only as strong as the stories we preserve and pass along to future generations. If you, or a family member, have deep ties to the Ignacio community, please consider sharing your stories with the Voices of Ignacio Collection. Even seemingly simple memories like traveling to school or working on the family farm provide invaluable glimpses into our shared past. Considering the chaos and complexity of the modern world, such reminders of simpler times are more important than ever before. As an African proverb warns us, “When an elder dies, a library burns to the ground.”
To see the collection, please visit: https://voicesofignacio.cvlcollections.org To find out how to share your story, please call: 970-563-9287 or contact Daniel at: dfrauenhoff@ignaciolibrary.org